Weekend in Parma, cultural treasures and cool tastings

If culture is one with art, music, food and beauty, in Parma you can meet it walking in a city that welcomes you with an unmistakable elegance, away from the crowds, traffic and queues, in spaces and times on a human scale. Artists and masterpieces such as Correggio and Parmigianino, Antelami and Petitot, Giuseppe Verdi and Arturo Toscanini, Maria Luigia of Austria and the Farnese and again, the Violetta di Parma, the Parmigiano Reggiano, the Prosciutto di Parma, the Culatello di Zibello await you in Parma Italian Capital of Culture 2020+21 and Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy.

Details
More info

We offer you a private and tailor-made tour, organized in compliance with the regulations to make you live your experience in safety and serenity. Ask for your customized tour.

Where

What is culture?... All that leads to the production of art, good food, music or may be what art, good food, great and beautiful music produce? One way or another, in Parma, culture is encountered, experienced in the squares, in the streets, galleries, museums and exhibitions, in the craft shops and opulent delicatessen, in the theaters and cathedrals, in the intimate restaurants and taverns, in the street food bistros. Even more in the years that sees it as the Italian Capital of Culture, it will be surprising to walk its streets, its places of culture and find on the path unexpected artistic treasures, exquisite food and sublime music. All in a welcoming and elegant city, away from the crowds, traffic and queues, in spaces on a human scale and ideal for an easy and correct social distancing. The suggested itineraries will allow you to choose your own spaces and visiting times. From the elegant Ducal Park, to the amazing wooden Teatro Farnese, to the important National Gallery with the section dedicated to Correggio and Parmigianino, to the moving composure and integrity of Cathedral Square with the imposing medieval Cathedral and the Baptistery in pink marble, to the refined neoclassicism of the Teatro Regio, temple of Italian Opera, you will only want to stop for a coffee or a typical snack in an outdoor café in a park or under the pergola of an ancient trattoria or comfortably sitting in an elegant square of the historical center.

Duration

2 days/1 night

Validity

All year round

Suggested for

The tour is recommended for art, music and good food lovers who long to discover the best of Parma, the 2020+21 Italy’s Culture Capital, visit memorable historic sites and monuments, taste the excellent typical products of this Unesco Creative City of Gastronomy.

The tour foresees:

1 night in hotel**** or B&B or apartment with breakfast
private guide in foreign language, full day in Parma
big aperitif, first day, beverages included
Parma Incoming phone assistance during the tour

Services on request:

coach, transfers, extras, entrance fees to the monuments, meals and beverages not indicated in the program and everything not expressively written under “The tour foresees”.

Safety protocols observed by our selected suppliers for this itinerary are available on request.

First day

Arrival and accommodation at hotel. Meet your private guide/local expert and walk through squares and streets of Parma city centre to the large Palazzo della Pilotta that houses the amazing wooden and unique Teatro Farnese and the Galleria Nazionale in whose rooms and corridors, wide and elegant, there are paintings by Correggio, Parmigianino and other artists including Leonardo da Vinci with “La Scapigliata”, Beato Angelico, Canaletto, Guercino, Tintoretto, Sebastiano del Piombo. At the end a fresh walk on one of the bridges that crosses the Parma river and the beautiful green area of its riverbed, takes us to the popular old town, literally called "Beyond the Water", to get to the Birth House of Arturo Toscanini, one of the greatest musicians and conductors of all time. Delicious big aperitif with local products sitting at the tables under the large trees of the Ducal Park or light lunch in a trattoria on the edge of the park, under the cool shade of the pergola. A must will be the visit to the Camera di San Paolo, which beautifully frescoed by Correggio, represents one of his undisputed masterpieces. This splendid place was one of the secret rooms of Abbess Giovanna da Piacenza, illuminated superior of the monastery. Gourmet ice cream break or coffee break sitting in one of the squares or street in city center. And here we are in Piazza Duomo, a dip back in time, intact, without bars, restaurants or shops. The ancient stones of the imposing Cathedral and the pink marble of the Baptistery serenely welcome the visitor; you can hear the screeching of swallows and the cries of some child playing, the voices of passers-by and be far away from the stress of the traffic and crowds. Back to hotel or B&B or apartment. Dinner at leisure in one of the local restaurants or take advantage of the food-delivery service of the best Parma’s restaurants. Overnight stay.

Second day

Breakfast at hotel, chance of room service. Check out. Day at leisure to continue the visit to the city of Parma or its surroundings.

Some suggestions:

Deep inside food experience, just ask us the many opportunities we can offer you, let’s say Culatello di Zibello PDO experience in the Land of Verdi? Or Prosciutto di Parma PDO and Parmigiano Reggiano PDO experience round and about rolling hills and intriguing castles? Or Traditional Balsamic Vinegar full testing discovering authentic country houses? Or an itinerant amusing tasting tour in the heart of Parma, trying some of the best street food shops or bistrot.
The treasures of the Museums in Parma. Visit and explore extraordinary art places, the Palazzo Ducale, the Museo Glauco Lombardi, the Casa della Musica, the Pinacoteca Stuard, the Monumental Library of San Giovanni Church...
A full immersion in Parma’s perfume tradition, an excellence of Parma culture and industry. Choose an exclusive themed olfactory journey among these: Marie Louise, Duchesse of Parma and the Violetta di Parma - Secret gardens and the scent of flowers - The art of herbs: dispensaries and pharmacies in Parma – The music essence with the olfactory concerts and many others. Just ask for other options and we will inform.
Your private and tailor-made food experience.
An exclusive shopping experience
Explore nearby art and music cities, Cremona the Violin city and Modena Pavarotti’s city, for example.
An intriguing itinerary among amazing castles in the hills and in the plane